Influence-machine.



No. 643,367. Patented Feb. la, |900. H. E. wmf.

INFLUENCE MACHINE.

(Application filed Aug. 2, 1898.) (N0 Model.)

NITED STATES PATENT rrrca HENRY E. VAITE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.'

I'NFLUENCE-MAoHlNi-z.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,367, dated February i3, 1900. Application inea August" 2,1898. serrano. 687,533'. cromata.)

To @ZZ whom t may concer-rt:

Be it known that I, HENRY E. WAITE, a citizen of the United States, residing i'n the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Iniluence-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to intluencemachines, and has for its object to provide an improved machine; and the invention consists in the various features substantially as hereinafter vmore particularly set forth. s

Referring to the drawing, the figure is a vieu7 of an influence-machine embodying my improvements.

In the use of the so-called inliuence or Holtz induction machines it is Well known that in order to secure good and satisfactory results and to get a spark of the greatest potential it is important that no moisture or moist air should be in contact with any of the operative parts of the machine, and in order to overcome this disadvantage it is common to make the cases inclosing the operative parts of the machine air-tight and moistureproof. It has been found that in operating an influence-machine under these conditions, especially when a relatively high potential is produced, the airinside ofthe case apparently becomes decomposed,or ozone is formed therein or other deleterious gas, Which attacks the operative parts, and especially the exposed metal parts and those which are made of rubber, and often attacks the lacquer or varnish applied to some ofthe parts and in timeV produces a serious deterioration.

The object of my invention is to provide means for overcoming this difficulty and still permit the machine to be operated under the best conditions; and to these ends my invention, broadly stated, consists in providing the machine with means for introducinginto the case air or gas, which will prevent or at least overcome the difficulties due to the decomposition or change in the air usually confined Within the case. This may be accomplished in various ways-aa forinstance, a pure neutral gas may be introducedsuch, for instance, as nitrogen, which will not attack the operative parts and will not be affected by the electricity developed in the casemor in place of this gas air may be introduced at stated or convenient periods, the air being purified and deprived of its moisture and either cooled or heated, as the case may be.

Thus, referring to the drawing, A represents an iniiuence-machine which may be of any desired construction, but preferably such as is shown and described in my prior patent, No. 497,226, of May 9, 1893, in which the case is made air-tightin any suitable Way and the air confined therein, While the moisture is eX- cluded. While this has been found to be effective under ordinary circumstances, as before intimated, I have found that after a time the air becomes decomposed or ozone or other gas is formed, which acts deleteriously on the inclosed parts of the mechanism, and I have provided the gas With an outlet B, arranged in some convenient position in the case and provided With a controlling-valve B', and at some other convenient position in connection with the case, preferably near its bottom and at one end, as shown, I arrange an inlet C. Connected to this inlet is some suitable apparatus for forcing the air or gas into the case-as, for instance, a force-pump E, which is repre sented as an ordinary piston-pu mp, but which of course may be of any suitable or desired construction. This pump of course, if gas is to be used,Will be connected With the source of supply; but if air is used it simply has an opening to receive the air. Arranged between the pump and the inlet-opening in the case are suitable devices for purifying the air or gas, and While these may be varied according to the circumstances required I have shown a filter or strainer F, which may be of any suitable material, through which the air or gas is forced and serves to filter or purify the air as it is forced therethrough. Arranged in the inlet C is a chamber D, in which is arranged a coil G, which is suitably connected to a source of some heating or cooling material, as the case may be, so that by passing the material through the coil the air or gas passing over the coil will become heated or cooled to the desired temperature. Also arranged in connection With the inlet is a receptacle II to receive some moisture-absorbent material, such as calcium chlorid, which tends to absorb any moisture which may be in the air before it reaches the interior of the case.

IOO

With this apparatus, which is here represented as typical only, it is evident that the air in the casing can be displaced by fresh air or neutral Yor inert gas, which can be forced into the case from time tctime, being strained or filtered, heated or cooled, and deprived of its moisture, so that the air Within the case can be kept in an ideal condition, not only to prevent deterioration of the parts,l but to permit the apparatus to operate to its best advantage in perfectly dry air or gas. In my investigations in this line with the view of overcoming the disadvantages above set forth I found that merely cooling or -heatingr the air Within the case Without displacing it tended to overcome some of the disadvantages, and this of course is simpler than the arf rangement above described, as it only necessitates the passage of a pipe through the casing, through which pipe hot or cooling fluids can be forced; but this only partially remedied the defects, especially when the air had become decomposed or deleterious gases had been formed, and I find it far` preferable touse the apparatus illustrated and described, by Whichthe air or gas Within the; machine; canbe fully displaced and a neutral or inert gas or fresh dry air heated or cooled to the desired temperature can be introduced and the air changed as often as desired or necessary to` produce the best results.

1. In an influence-machine, the combination with an air-tight inclosing case having an inlet and an outlet opening, means for forcing air or gas under pressure into the case through the inlet-opening, and means for extracting the moisture from or drying the air previous to its being introduced into the case, substantially as described.

2. In an influence-machine, the combination With an air-tight casing, having an inlet and an outlet opening, means for forcing air or gas under pressure into the case through the inlet-opening, means for drying the air, and means for varyingthe temperature of the air before it isintroduced into the casing, substantially asY described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

HENRY El lVAITE.

Witnesses:

E. G. WILKINsoN, JAS. T. I-IAVILAND. 

